The Cookery in Dobbs Ferry, NY – Where the Marketing Beats the Products

To eat is to live. To live is to love. I love food and I found a piglet on the carving board delicious and non-repulsive. Thanks to Jessica Bassin Fehn and Michael Beaudry for getting me to write again.

The Cookery in Dobbs Ferry has a handsome chef (David DiBari) and that was the reason why my friend Christine told me to go. I have come to find the restaurant has great marketing (check out their site with the Vimeo video clip by the chef narrating his vision) and above average food. My expectations were high! Unfortunately, beauty isn’t everything.

I went for a Sunday brunch and ordered the pre-fixe and my friend ordered as he wished. The Cookery is a small plates restaurant that allows you to sample and eat until you are content as long as your wallet allows.

Of course, I ordered a carving from the suckling pig that laid on the board under the heat lamp. The skin was crispy but that crispness went away quickly. The meat was tender. This was definitely above average.

This was the complimentary ham. Too salty and the slice was too thick. There was a minor issue with who was supposed to do the carving. I believe the rule was the restaurant manager was supposed to but he was busy so our waiter started it. When the manager took over, this thick slice of ham was what we got. It was not easy to chew.

Arugula with oranges, pistachio, shaved fennel, citrus vinaigrette. What can I say? I also socialize with people who eat vegetables. It was “nice.”

Radiatore with lamb bolognese, parmigiano, mint. Lamb is on the menu! This was mine. Leveraging a microeconomic concept, this dish’s utility curve dropped like a sharp cliff after the initial tasting. It tasted almost divine on the first few bites (the lamb and the parmigiana sang together) and then the taste of too much saltiness took over. I was really hungry, too!

Pastina with butter, parmigiano, black pepper. This turned out to be the best plate for the meal. Perfectly done. Creamy. Not too salty. Homely. Happy.

Egg in a jar with cheddared polenta, hollandaise. Sounded interesting and looked interesting. However, this is a Frankenstein science experiment gone wrong. The Hollandaise and the egg separated from each other and it had this layer of liquid that is kind of clear but not. The taste was simply yucky.

Cider doughnut French toast with sausage, fried egg. I will give you the split opinion here. My friend Danny thought this dish had a great combination of sweet with salty; he thought the cider doughnut French toast was ingenuous. I thought it was completely disgusting to have a doughnut French toast – ruined the good name of French toast. The texture was rubbery and soggy.

Maple cream cinnabun. Should never have someone else ordered the dessert. This can pass as an acceptable American dessert but can never compete with a competent French dessert.

I believe the sucking pig and the whole pig dinner idea are excellent and worth the time. The visual of the pig in the window is fun to see and has a great shocking value to the vegetarians/vegans/animal loving folks. The marketing is also very well done on the site. The restaurant is hip with a comfortable vibe and live singing. The food outside of the pig was above average but certainly not as outstanding as I had been led to believe. This is when marketing covers for the products. As a digital marketer whose job is to cover for the products, my hat is off to the Cookery.

This experience took place at

The Cookery
39 Chestnut Street, Dobbs Ferry, 10522
(914) 305 2336